Microarchitecture for advanced polymeric materials

诊断是医疗保健系统的重要组成部分。早期和准确地检测疾病指标对于减少传播、预防和成功治疗至关重要。改善诊断的方法之一是更快和更好的检测，这可以支持大规模人群筛查并提高医疗响应能力。对同一样品中的同时（平行）多重免疫测定的需求不断增长，以允许同时测试多种疾病。在他以前的工作基础上，Dae Kun Hwang博士将利用功能化智能聚合物材料开发和设计创新的生物医学平台：i）用于高度快速多重免疫测定的水凝胶膜微流控芯片，和ii）用于细胞捕获和单细胞分析的筛分微孔微流控芯片。Hwang博士发明的基于水凝胶膜的高度快速和同时多重免疫测定平台，将同时检测和定量同一样品中的各种生物标志物。微流体技术也需要更小的样品，更便宜，更容易自动化。这些优点将大大减少测试和检测时间。Hwang博士最近开发了一种前所未有的微流体制造方法，可以实现这种测试。微孔已经成为广泛应用的潜在候选者，包括单细胞分析，因为它们可以捕获明确数量的细胞用于研究。可以研究微孔中捕获的单个细胞的环境反应，从而发现生物化学功能和细胞机制，并可以形成药物发现，诊断，癌症研究和再生医学的基础。在微孔中捕获的癌细胞数量明确，可以作为药物检测的有效模型。Hwang博士开发了一种通过交叉流高效捕获细胞的装置，不仅可以控制细胞数量，还可以控制形状，这是其他微孔装置所没有的。这对于循环肿瘤细胞（CTC）检测也是有效的。Hwang博士正在开发可扩展的制造，使CTC检测平台既低成本又高通量。他还设计了一个微孔平台，以促进大小均匀的肿瘤球体捕获，这在药物测试中至关重要。黄博士的创新和多功能的生物医学工具将使他能够大规模提高医疗保健和福祉的质量。

Diagnostics are an essential part of the healthcare system. Early and accurate detection of disease indicators is vital for reducing transmission, prophylaxis, and successful treatments. One of the ways to improve diagnostics is faster and improved testing, which can support large population screening and improve healthcare responsiveness. There is a growing demand for simultaneous (parallel) multiplexed immunoassays in the same sample, to allow testing for multiple diseases concurrently. Building upon his previous work, Dr. Dae Kun Hwang will develop and design innovative biomedical platforms utilizing functionalized smart polymeric materials: i) a hydrogel-membrane microfluidic chip for a highly rapid multiplex immunoassay, and ii) a sieved-microwell microfluidic chip for cell capture and single cell analysis.Dr. Hwang's invention of a highly rapid and simultaneous multiplexed immunoassay platform, based on a hydrogel membrane, will detect and quantify various biomarkers concurrently in the same sample. Microfluidics also require smaller samples, are cheaper, and easier to automate. These advantages will greatly reduce testing and detection time. Dr. Hwang has recently developed an unprecedented microfluidic fabrication method which will enable this testing.Microwells have emerged as a potential candidate for a wide range of applications, including single cell analysis, as they can capture a well-defined number of cells for study. Individual cells captured in microwells can be investigated for environmental responses, leading to discoveries of biochemical functions and cellular mechanisms, and can form the basis for drug discovery, diagnostics, cancer research, and regenerative medicine. A well-defined number of cancer cells trapped in microwells can be used as an effective model for drug testing.Dr. Hwang has developed a device for efficient cell trapping by crossflow, which provides great control not only by the number of cells but also shape, unseen in other microwell devices. This can be also effective for circulating tumor cell (CTC) detection. Dr. Hwang is developing scalable fabrication to make the CTC detection platform both low-cost and high throughput. He is also designing a microwell platform to facilitate uniformly-sized tumour spheroid capture, which is essential in drug testing. Dr. Hwang's innovative and versatile biomedical tools will allow him to improve the quality of healthcare and wellbeing on a large scale.